Multiunit tank car



M. MAURAN.

MULTIUNI T TANK CAR Filed June 24, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F a i aINVENTOR Nov. 23 1926. 1,608,224

M. MAURAN MULTIUNIT TANK CAR Filed June 24. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet INVENTORM 7km;

hr ms Patented Nov. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX MAURAN, F NIAGARA.FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE HATHIESON ALKALIWORKS, INC., 0]? NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA. I

MULTIUNIT TANK CAB.

This invention relates to improvements in multiple unit tank cars forthe transportation of liquefied gases.

In the transportation of liquefied gases such as liquefied chlorine,liquefied sulphur dioxide, etc., it has'been necessary heretofore toship the liquefied gases in relatively small containers, of one toncapacity or less, especially designed and constructed for withstandingthe high p'ressures'of the liquefied gases contained therein. Theshipment of the liquefied gases in this wayinvolves an excessive costfor the containers and for freight charges in their transportation sincethe containers must be returned empty. The amount of the liquefied gaseswhich can be transported. in such acontainer, moreover, is limited, foronly about fifteen one-ton containers can be directly secured on a carof usual size,-so that the load is only fifteen tons of liquefied gas,or one-half the normal load of a tank car.

Tank cars which have a single large tank -are unsatisfactory fortransporting liquefied gases. -It is difficult to prevent injury orweakening of the tanks, especially by corrosion when corrosive gases aretransported and where it is necessary to insulate the tanks to preventthem from overheating during transportation. Also the transportation ofsuch gases in a car having a single tank presents a potential risk of amajor order in case of accident to the car.

Since tank cars em loyed for the purpose of transporting lique ed gasesare ordinarily so constructed as to be adapted simply for this onepurpose, it is desirable thatthe the tanks must be returned empty and.con; sequently one stage of the ourney is unprofitable.

The present invention, therefore, is directed to the provision of amulti-tank car which permits the transportation of liquefiedgases inlarge containers, these containers being of such asize as to make possble the transportation of greater quantities of the liquefied materialthan has been heretofore possible. Also-the car constructed according tothe present invention permits of the shipment'of the material with equalsafety although the tanks are of greater size than heretofore used, andthis car afiords numerous further advantages by reason of the facilitywith which the material may be Application filed June 24, 1924. SerialNo. 722,041.

withdrawn from the tanks either in the liquid or gaseous form.

The car of-the present invention involves the use of a relatively smallnumber of tanks, each of which contains a considerable quantity of theliquefied gases. These tanks are constructed so as to withstand safelythe pressures involved and are firmly and securely mounted on the car soas to form a substantially integral part thereof, being capable,however, of removal therefrom should occasion arise. I

In transporting such materials confined under heavy pressure in tanks,especially when the liquid is of a highly noxious and destructivecharacter, it isimportant not only to insure that the tanks are heldsecurely in place but they should be so de-' signed as to prevent theend thrust or water hammer effect which is of great importance and mayresult in damage in the case of a long car, by reason of the tendency-ofathe liquid to pile up at one end or the other whenever the motion ofthe car is suddenly started or stopped. The multi-tank car of thepresent invention is constructed to minimize this effect and topreventinjury to the tanks while the car isin transit, due to strains towhich the mooring of the tanks is subjected.

According to the present invention the car structure is especiallystrengthened at those points where the greatest strains are placed andthe tanks aredesigned so that a quantity of the gases having. a weightat least equal to the minimum car load tonnage may be transported. Bythis construction, therefore, the capacity of the car is utilized to thebest advantage and it follows that the transporting of the gases is muchless expensive than was previously the case since the car is fullyloaded in one stage of the journey. Furthermore, the individual tanksare so designed that their contents ma be removed eitherin the gaseousor liquid orm and the connections are such that the several tank's maybe emptied simultaneously,

one tank at a time. Various other'advantages incidental to theconstruction now to be described will be apparent from the folr or elsethe contents may be withdrawn from four tanks, each large enough to holdseven and one-half tons of liquid chlorine, is provided with a centralbox girder which runs lengthwise. The tanks, which are substantiallycylindrical with rounded ends, are mounted vertically on the car overcross beams which extend from either side of the box girder. Each tankrests over a pair of cross beams which extend from'one edge of the .carto the other, and the bottom of the tank is supported above the fioorlevel of the car at some distance so that insulating material may beplaced between the bottom of the tank and the floor of the car.

With this arrangement the total weight of liquefied gases which may betransported in these tanks is much greater than can be carried by usingsmall containers supported on the car. The large tanks are individuallymounted in place, and are so designed that they may beeasily kept clean,which is a matter of considerable importance when' liquid of a corrosivenature is being shipped. Furthermore, the tanks are so supported thatthe strains to. which the car is subjected are not transmitted to thetank itself and oughly insulated so as to conform to Governmentrequirements, and thus if the car is subjected to the heat of a fire,for example,

there will be a considerable time factor involved before the temperatureof the contents of the tank rises to a point which will create adangerous pressure, due to expansion of the contents.

While the tanks are designed primarily for the shipment of gases, suchas liquefied chlorine, which is transported at a pressure from to 100pounds per square inch, they may also be used for other liquefied gases,such as liquid sulphur dioxide. Also, these tanks are advantageously emloyed in the transportation of gasoline an particularly of casing headgas which contains large quantities of light and. readily volatileconstituents and which is maintained under a substantial pressure duringtransportation. By the arrangement of the tanks as will presently bedescribed,- the contents may be withdrawn either in liquid or gaseousform, and. consequently the car is delayed only a short time for loadingor unloading.

- The accompanying drawings illustrate that construction of themulti-tank car of the present invention which is now consideredpreferable, and in these drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the ear with one tank shown insection;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the car shown in Fig. 1, also showing onetank in section,

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical (POSS-SOC- tion through one of the tankson the line 3-3-0f Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section through one of the tanks showing adill'crent type of tank mounting,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of one of the tanks, showing the type ofmounting employed in Fig. l, i

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section of a tank, showing a different typeof mounting, and

Fig. 7 is another partial sectional view of a tank, showing a differenttype of anchoring means.

In these drawings, the car is shown as having a central box girder atextending throughout the length of the car and'built' up of plates andangle members in any suitable or convenient manner. This box girder isof greater depth in the middle than at the ends where it rests ontrucks, not illustrated but the position of which is shown by thediagrammatic representation of the wheels 5. The car here illustrated isdesigned to tarry four vertical tanks placed side by side inthedirection of its length,

and to support these tanks here is a plurality of cross beams 6. Eachbeam is made up'of two parts secured to either face of the box girder,and extending at right angles to the latter. In order to distribute theweight of the tanks evenly there is a pair of cross beams under eachtank and these beams are arranged so that theywill be symmetricallyplaced with respect to the axis of the tank.

Each tank, which is of substantially cylindrical form having roundedends, consists of a cylindrical side wall 8, having a rounded upper end9 and a rounded lower end 10. This tank may be made in any suitable orconvenient manner, preferably by welding so that it may be considered tobe of one continuous piece of metal. 'In the tank mounting illustratedin Figs. 1 and 3, the tank is carried on a supporting ring 11, which isa cylindrical piece of metal upon the up 361 end of which the tankrests. The cylin rical supporting ring may, if desired, consist of acontinuation of the cylindrical side wall of the tank;.that is, thelower head 10 of the tank may be placed a short distance withinthe endof-this cylindrical side wall and then be welded in place to completethe tank. Thus the extension of the side wall beyond the lower head willserve as the supporting ring; This ring may be secured to the side wallof the tank by Welding, if desired, and it extends beyond the end of thetank so as to form substantially a continua- :tion of the side wall.This supporting ring 32 which is riveted or otherwise secured to thecross beams, and. a flanged ring 12 is riveted to the plate 12 so thatits upstanding flange 13 encircles the lower end of the sup: portingring 11 and may be riveted or otherwise secured thereto. That portion ofthe ring 12 which bears against the face of the plate 12 may also beriveted or otherwise secured in place.

The supporting ring serves to distribute the weight of the tank and totransmit the ."eight to the central girder and cross beams, and the tankis then held in place by means of a ring 14 having a substantiallycylindrical portion 15 which lies in contact with the side wall of thetank near the place where the side and end walls merge. The ring alsohas an inwardly curved portion which overlies the up er end of the endwall 9 and has a lateral ange extending outwardly from the side wall atits lower end. This lateral flange has a number of bolt holes formedthrough it, in which are inserted stay bolts 18, here shown as six innumber, equidistantly distributed around the tank, with their headsresting against the flange and their threaded ends 18 extending throughthe cross beams and central girder. These stay bolts are then held inplace by suitable nuts or lock nuts, and in the illustrated constructiontwo stay bolts pass through the central girder on either side of thetank and two stay bolts pass through each cross beam. By reason of theoverlying portion 16 oi. the ring 14;- the bolts may be drawn up so asto hold the tank firmly in position, and the weight oi the tank and itscontents is evenly distributed by reason of the symmetrical placing ofthe. tank with respect to the girder and beams. In the drawings the staybolts have been illustrated as lying substantially parallel to the sideWall of the tank, but if desired the bolts may be placed so as to lie atan angle to the central axis of the tank, in which case the lower endsof the bolts would pass through the beams and girder at some distancefrom the place where the lower edge of the tank-supporting ring rests onthe plate. ll desired the stay bolts may also be placed at an angle tothe vertical.

Each tank is preferably insulated by means of? a covering 19, made ofany desired :inaterial such as magnesia compounds, and this body or"insulation extends over the upper endsof the tank and down its side,while a further quantity of the material 20 is introduced on the platel2 so as to lie between this plate and the lower end of the tank beforethe latter is placed in position. A metal shea hing 21 of suitable formor construction encloses the insulation about the ta-"k, us serving toprotect that portion of the n which would otherwise be eX- posed.

usual man-hole 22, with its cover 23, and extending through this coverare outlet pipes 24c and 25. The outlet pipe 25 extends only a shortdistance into the tank, while the outlet pipe 24 passes downwardly andhas its intake. lying in a depression 25 which is formed in the lowerend of the tank. By the use of these outlets the contents may bewithdrawn either in the gaseous or liquid form, and by making the lowerend wall of the tank with this depression 25 it is possible to dischargethe contents of the tank completely, even in the event that the car is.

resting on a track which is somewhat inclined. The outlet pipes havevvalves 26 and 27 respectively, which are, in turn, connected to outletbranches 28 and 29, leading to mains 30 and 31. The latter extendthroughout the series of tanks and are provided with expansion beams 32and 33, which lie between each pair of tanks. These mains have suitablecouplings so that they may be connected with pipes through which thecontents from a single tank or from all the tanks simultaneously may bewithdrawn when the car reaches its destination. The valves and theordinary safety devices, which are not shown, are enclosed within ahousing 3% placed on the top of each tank,

and running boards 35 mounted on the up-- per end of the casing 21, onsuitable brackets, provide a convenient access for the workman inloading and unloading operations. Also ladders 37 leading to theserunning boards are provided between the two middle tanks. Extendingalong the length of the car on the ends of the cross on either side, arerunning boards 38., these running boards, as shown in. Fig. .2,extending across the end of the car. Also a hand rail 38 is secured toeither side of the tanks, so as to provide for the safety at thetrainmen.

In Fig. 4: there is illustrated a dinerent form of tank mounting, whichthere are used vertical standards 39 may be cast integrally with a basering 39", which is in turn secured to the cross beams and if desired tothe central box girder by bo s or rivets. If desired, however, each stard may have a loot at its lower end which rests on the ring 39 and issecured thereto by being riveted or bolted in place. A plate 12 isemployed, as before. to close ber 40 the contour of which contbrrns tothe surface of the lower end of the tank. inclination ot the faces outthese plate causes the tank to rest upon them with a slight wedgingaction. so that the tank is supported in a cradle in which it is held inposition by means of stay bolts l3, as before. lln

at the upper end the tank has the other respects construction the tanktoo illt

The

face 40 which curves upwardly around the line of mergence of the sideand end walls, this outer, upper end 44 of each of the surfaces 40serving to resist any lateral movement of the lower end of the tank. The

standards 39, as shown in this figure, as be-' fore, are either boltedor riveted to a ring 39' which is in turn secured to the cross beams andthese standards are connected at their upper ends by a ring 40 so thatthe lower end of the tank is engaged by the ring throughout itscircumference. If desired, the standards may be cast integrally with therings and in either case the tank is sup-.

ported on a ring which is in turn supp0rted by a plurality of uprightstandards 39 placed at difllerent points about the base ring.

In Fig. 7 there is shown another construction for the tank mounting, inwhich standards such as are' shown in Figs. 4 and 6 may be employed.However, with this type of-tank, the stay bolts are not used, but, onthe contrary, the tank has welded to its side wall near the lower end,brackets or lugs 42, each of which extends down beyond the end of thetank and is secured in the forked end of an angle bolt 43 which may besecured to the central girder and cross beams in any appropriate manner.Each of the tanks shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 7, is preferably encased in alayer of insulation which is, in turn, protected by a sheathing of metal21, as shownv in Fig. 3.

It will be seen that the multi-tank car of the present invention is ofsimple construction, but, nevertheless, of reat strength,'and the tanksare held securely in position and prevented from movement which mightcause injury. Also, in each case, the tank is held in place on the carin such a way that there are no rivets or bolts extending through thetank shell so that the strains to which the tank is subjected duringtransportation can not result in injury which would in turn 1 cause aleakage of the contents. The securing means in each case are whollyexterior to the tank and may easily be applied and removed in the eventthat it is desirable, for

some reason or other to remove the tank from the car. It is to -beunderstood, of course, that ordinarily the tanks will be kept in placeand the contents introduced through the mains. The car provides for thetransportation of large quantities of liquefied material and the tonnagecapacity of thecar-is used to the best advantage since the tanks, thoughsmall in number, are sufiiciently large in size so that the total weightof material transported corresponds closely to the usual carloadtonnage.

When the car has reached its destination the tanks may be quicklyunloaded, either singly or simultaneously, and the contents of each tankma be removedeither in the gaseous or liquid form, as may be desired.Since the car permits of the transportation of so great a tonnage ofmaterial, transporw tation costs are considerably reduced. It will beunderstood that tank cars of this character, after the contents isunloaded, are returned empty to the shipping point so that at best thereis a. loss in transportation eflicienoy, but in the present instancethis loss is kept to a minimum, because of the greater quantity ofmaterial which may behandled in the outward journey. Since the tanks aresecurely held in lace b means of the supporting ring or t e cra le, asthe case may be. and also by the upper ring and stay bolts, the strainsarising in transit are, to a large extent, rendered harmless, and evenshould a stay bolt break or the rivets securingthe supporting ring tothe car frame be sheared off, no injury would result to the tank sincenone of these parts passes through the tank shell. In tank cars whichconsist of a single large tank, the tank is ordinarily secured in placeby means of rivets or bolts whichv pass through the shell of the tank,and injury toa single rivet is likely to result in leakage which wouldbe dangerous, especially where highly noxious or corrosive materials arebeing transported, but in the present tank construction such danger isobviated. The tanks may be made of a construction sufiiciently strong tocontain liquefied gases under high internal pressure and even thoughviolent agitation occurs during transit there is no likelihood ofleakage lossfes. Should it be necessary to remove a single tank for anypurpose, this can easily be done without damage to thecontainer proper.

The present car has been shown as being built with a frame madeu of abox girder and cross beams on whic the tanks rest directly, but there isinterposed between the bottom of each tank and the car frame a platewhich assists in distributing the weight 1. In a car of the typedescribed, the com-bination of a body comprising a central bination of abody, a plurality of upright containers mounted at diflerent pointsalong the body, means on the body for supporting the tanks in uprightposition with their lower ends above the level of the body, the saidsupporting means engaging each tank near the edge of the lower end ofthe latter to leave a space between thecentral part of the headand thebody, and a mass of insulating material occupying this space.

2. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body, a pluralitof upright containers, mountings at di erent points along the car bodyfor supporting the containers with their lower endsspaced above thelevel of the body, the said mountings engaging the lower ends of thecontainers near the edge of these ends, and means for securing1 theupper end of each container to the 3. In a car of the type. described,the combination of a body having cross beams arranged in pairsthroughout its length, a plurality of upright containers ofsubstantially cylindrical contour mounted on the body in spaced relationabove the level of the body, each container being disposed over a air ofcross beams, and means for securing both ends of each container to thebody.

4. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body comprisinga longitudinal girder and cross beams arranged in pairs throughout itslength, a plurality of upright containers mounted on the body, eachcontainer being disposed over a pair of cross beams, and held againstlateral movement at its lower end, and means for securing the upper endsof the containers to the girder and cross beams.

.5. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body, aplurality of upright containers of substantially cylindrical contourmounted on the body, supports for the individual containers distributedalong the body, each support serving to hold the container with itslower end in spaced relation to the body and also to prevent lateralmovement of the lower end of the container, and means secured to eachcontainer for holding the latter on its support.

6. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body, aplurality of upright containers of substantially cylindrical contourmounted on the body, each container consisting of aside wall and a pairof heads, supports for the individual containers distributed along thebody, the lower head of each container resting on one of the su ports inspaced relation to the body, and t e latter serving to hold thecontainer against lateral movement, andmeans secured to the upper end ofeach container and to the body for holding the container on its support.

7 In a car of the type described, the comgirder and cross beams, aplurality of upright containers mounted on the body, a cradle for eachcontainer including a standard secured to each cross beam on either sideof the girder, and means for securing.

the upper end of each container to the body to hold the container in itscradle.

8. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body comprisinga central girder and cross beams, a plurality of upright containersmounted on the body, a cradle for each container against which the lowerend of the container rests, in spaced relation to the body, each cradlein-- cluding pairs of standards, each cross beam having a standardsecured to it at either side of the central girder, and means secured tothe container and to the bodyfor holding each container in its cradle.

9. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body, apluralityof upright containers mounted on the bod a cradle for eachcontainer secured to t e body to support the container above a pair ofcross beams, and a clamping ringmounted near the. upper end of eachcontainer andsecured to the body, this clamping ring having a portionoverlying'the upper end of the container.

10. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body comprisinga. central girder and cross beams, a plurality of upright containersmounted on the body,'a cradle for each container secured to the body andsupporting the container above the body, a clamping ring mounted at theupper end of each container, and stay bolts secured to the ring and tothe girder and cross beams. Y

11. In a car of the type described, the com bination of a body, apluralit ofiupright containers mounted on the b0 y, each containerhaving a domed lower end, a plurality of cradles secured to the body,one for each container, each cradle comprising a plurality of standardshaving inclined upper surfaces upon which the lower end of the containerrests, the container being supported in spaced relation to the body, andmeans for securing the upper end of each .container to the body.

12'. In a car of the type described, the combination of a bodycomprising a irder and cross beams arranged in pairs t roughout itslength, a plurality of upright containers mounted on the body,.a cradlefor supporting each container above a pair of cross beams in spacedrelation to the body, a clamping ring partially overlying the upper endof each container, and means for securing the ring to the cross beamsover which the contalneris support-ed.

13. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body comprisinga girder and cross beams arranged in pairs throughout its length, afloor late coveringa part of each pair of cross' cams, a cradle mountedon each pair of cross beams and' extending above the plate, an uprightcontainer mount-- ed on each cradle, means secured to the u per end ofeach container and to the boy "to hold the container on its cradle, anda layer of insulation substantially enclosing the container, a portionof this insulation lying between theplate and the lower end of thecontainer. y

- 14. In a car of the type described, the

combination of a substantially cylindrical.

upright container, a cradle on which the lower end ofthe containerrests, this cradle being formed to prevent lateral movement of the lowerend of the container, and a clamping ring encircling the container andhaving a .portion'overlying the upper end thereof, this ring having aplurality of stay bolts for holding the container on its cradle. 15. Ina car of the type-described, the

combination of a body, a plurality of upright containers, mountings atdifferent points along the body for supporting the containers with theirlower ends spaced above the level of the body, a layer of insulationsubstantially enclosing each con-

